


You stayed

by Jessymessy101



Category: Coronation Street
Genre: Accidents, Fluff and Angst, Getting Back Together, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, Injury, M/M, Minor Injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-15
Updated: 2019-11-15
Packaged: 2021-01-31 08:11:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21443023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jessymessy101/pseuds/Jessymessy101
Summary: When Billy spots an injured Paul fighting with paramedics he's the only person at the whole scene who can calm him down.My interpretation of Billy and Paul after the roof collapse episode.
Relationships: Billy Mayhew/Paul foreman, Billy/Paul
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	1. Chapter 1

The street was in chaos, people everywhere running into the collapsed building. The dust from the wreckage was slowly filling the air in the immediate area. Someone had called the emergency services and their high pitched sirens could be heard in the distance getting closer.

Billy Mayhew had just dropped his adopted daughter off at school and was on his way home when he spotted the commotion. Someone barged past him running towards where underworld used to stand.

As he rounded the corner his eyes gracing over the scene, not fully believing what he was seeing.

"Whats happened?" Billy found himself speaking.

Gary, who had been trying to get inside the building, suddenly appeared beside him. "The roofs come in!" 

Billy shot his eyes over the top of the building where large shards of metal were sticking almost vertically upright into the sky. The dust billowing up like a mushroom cloud.

"There's people trapped inside!" Gary added he was clearly panicked, as much as anyone else around him was. 

"Wait... The strike! They were going on strike today" Billy's own sense of panic suddenly hit him as he realised how many people were inside. "Paul!" suddenly people began appearing from the crumpled doorway. Emma, kirk, Gemma and Paul all supporting each other as they got clear of the unsteady structure. 

Billy ran towards them but halted a few feet away as if he'd hit an invisible wall. 

"Billy!" Paul sighed in what Billy could have sworn was relief, but he didn't have time to dwell on it. 

"Are you all okay? That's a lot of blood" Billy pointed out the gash on Paul's temple that was still slowly bleeding. 

"Ah its nothing I'm fine" Paul pressed a hand gently against the wound and winced at the sharp pain. He wasn't fooling Billy. 

At that moment the sirens blared through the street and came to a halt beside the gathering crowd. 

"Do me a favour and just get it looked at will ya" Billy took a hesitant step towards him not sure how he would react. 

"Let them sort Gemma out first" Paul tried to negotiate and Billy allowed him for the most part. Until a team of paramedics appeared with their kits. One of them set to work guiding Gemma over to the waiting ambulance. Paul let her go and with the sudden lack of weight that had clearly been holding him up, as well as Gemma he stumbled and swayed. Billy reached out on reflex and grabbed him round his middle holding him up. 

"I'm fine" Paul argued but his speech was slurring. 

"No you're not, hey excuse me can you take a look at him please" Billy called out to a nearby paramedic who rushed over and helped Billy manoeuvre Paul so he was sitting on the path. 

"Sir I need some space to examine him" the paramedic a young woman with a sympathetic smile asked. 

"Yeah of course, sorry" Billy found himself a little useless standing in the middle of the chaos that was slowly becoming more organised as the emergency services took over. 

Paul was swaying on the spot at the paramedic examined him. She had placed something over the wound, "Ok, I think its for the best that you come back to the hospital and get checked out" she was shouting slightly to get the point across to Paul who was struggling to focus. 

"No I'm fine honestly" he protested his words getting worse. 

"you have a big gash to your head and it needs cleaning and sorting" she tried to reason with him but was quickly interrupted. 

"What about my sister?" Paul asked looking around frantically for Gemma. 

"She's fine she's with my colleague in the back of the ambulance, we can take you as well alright" she reassured him but he was getting panicked now. 

"I don't... Please don't make me..." Paul was getting stressed and it broke Billys heart to see him like that. 

"Hey, hey Paul look at me" The paramedic was trying to get him to focus but his eyes were shooting all over the place. 

Billy couldn't take it much longer, he was letting the paramedic do her job but she wasn't getting through to him. 

"Paul, Paul stop you need to focus, look at me!" Billy hadn't meant to snap but it got Paul's attention. Billy was now crouched in front of Paul on the floor gripping the other man's hands that were flailing wildly in search of something. 

"Billy... I can't..." Paul couldn't finish his thought cause he was clearly confused, a result of the head injury. 

"I know, you're scared, you've hit your head and you need to go to the hospital, please let this lady do her job... Let her help you" Billy pleaded. 

Paul stilled, his grip on Billy's arms loosened, so much so that Billy was surprised as he hadn't even realised the hands were there. Their eyes locked and Paul physically relaxed. They sat there for what felt like an age, everything around them seemed to still and with a small nod from Paul the paramedic got back to work. 

"Thank you" Billy sighed in relief his hands never leaving Paul for fear that Paul would revert back to how he was if he let him go. 

"Stay" Pauls voice broke and the tears evident in his eyes spoke volumes to Billy. 

"I won't leave your side" Billy looked over at the paramedic for confirmation that that would be okay. She smiled warmly and nodded, he didn't need to say the words for her to understand that this man was the only thing keeping her patient grounded right now. 

..................................... 

Billy had been waiting in a none descript corridor somewhere in the A&E department. He'd arrived in the ambulance with Paul who had calmed down significantly since he'd first collapsed.   
They had ushered him through the double doors and that was when Billy had reluctantly let go of Paul's hand. He knew he was in good hands but he hated the feeling of being apart from him. 

One of the side doors opened and drew his attention. He spotted Gemma and Emma with one of the nurses. They both looked like they'd been patched up and were free to head home. 

"Billy? What are you doing here? Are you okay?" Emma was the first to spot him and raced over fearing he too had been hurt. 

"Oh no, I'm fine I uh... I came in the ambulance with... Paul" Billy pointed at the double doors where they'd taken the younger man. 

"Is he okay?" Emma knew Paul had been injured in the accident but in the chaos they'd all been split off to different ambulances. 

Gemma appeared beside her friend and the look of worry on her face was enough to stir Billys own worry. 

"I haven't heard anything since they took him through Gemma, I'm sorry" Billy informed her, it wasn't much but it was all he had to tell her. 

"How was he... When he went in?" she asked her worry settling slightly but still present. 

"He was worked up... I uh managed to calm him down at the scene but um... He had a nasty gash to his head... I think he was a little confused" Billy knew anything he said wouldn't settle the worry for the young girl but he knew knowing the facts would help her in some small way. 

"You stayed with him?" She wasn't really asking but she had a warm smile for him. 

"Yeah, I couldn't leave him, not like that" the trio were cut off when a doctor emerged from somewhere down the corridor. 

"Are you here for Mr Foreman?" he asked scanning the little group of worried faces. 

"uh yeah I'm his sister. Is he okay?" Gemma jumped on before Billy could speak. 

"He's going to be find, got a nasty head wound but we've stitched him up just need to keep an eye on him for 24 hours because of concussion" the doctor relayed. 

There was a collective sigh of relief from the group. 

"Can we see him?" Gemma asked. 

"we're moving him up to a ward so you can go see him then" the doctor smiled at them making his exit. 

"I best get back, Summer will be coming home soon" Billy announced. 

"You can't just leave! He'll want to see ya!" Gemma was surprised by the insinuation that Billy would even consider leaving. 

"I'm not sure" 

"Of course he will! He cares about you too you know... Please stay" Gemmas pleading eyes broke through Billy. 

"ok if you're sure" 

..........


	2. I stayed

Paul had fallen asleep and by the time he woke up it was dark out. There was a large window down one side of the ward he was in and a green curtain pulled right round his bed so he had no sense of where he actually was. He sat up in bed wincing slightly at the pain in his head, it was like having a hang over without the drink.

He could hear people talking softly somewhere nearby. With some difficulty and a sharp pain banging inside his head he climbed out the bed and shuffled to the curtain. Pulling it back he clocked two other men in the ward on the far side, both of which had visitors and were talking softy.  
He felt a pang in his chest that they had someone visiting them, he had woken up alone.

Paul wandered through the ward gaining him some curious looks from the other people in there. He made it to the door when a nurse appeared from behind another closed curtain and immediately came towards him.

"Mr foreman you're supposed to be in bed" she gently placed her hands over him to guide him back but he resisted pulling away.

"I don't want to be here I just want to get my stuff and go home" he pleaded and the strain from pulling away hurt his head even more.

"Its really for the best that you stay here just for a little while" Paul settled slightly more from the pain banging in his head and from exhaustion.

"I just want to go home" wherever home was, he had been sleeping on Rita's sofa for the last few months and then Gemmas for a little while since he'd split up with Billy.

"Paul, come on do as she says" Billys voice was a welcome sound to Paul who physically relaxed and allowed the nurse to guide him back to the bed. Paul hadn't turned to look at Billy and was surprised to see he was in fact there and not just a figment of his concussion enduced imagination.

"Billy?" Paul needed to know he wasn't going mad.

"Just settled okay, I'm not going anywhere" Billy pulled up a chair and sat down as close to the bed as he could get.

"You stayed?" Paul sounded surprised.

"Of course I stayed... I said I would didn't I" Billy placed his hand over Paul's arm and squeezed gently reassuring him of his words.

"Thanks" Paul sighed and let his eyes drift closed feeling the pull of the exhaustion taking over.

.....................................

The sunlight from the large windows were what had woke him initially. He soon realised there were people there when he heard the familiar sound of his sister somewhere nearby.

"He stayed with him all night?" he heard her asking someone.

"usually we don't allow it but he seemed more settled with him here so we let him stay" the nurse from last night Paul recognised.

"Gemma?" Paul coughed as he tried to find his voice again, he can't remember the last time he had a drink and his throat was paying for it.

"Paul, thank god you're okay I was so worried about you" She came bursting through the curtain in a way only Gemma could and rushed to his side. Paul usually hated fuss but in that moment he couldn't be happier to see his pain in the arse sister.

"Wait where's Billy... He said he'd be here" Paul asked sounding like a child.

"He's still here, I sent him to go get us some coffee... Not that cafeteria rubbish but the real stuff" Gemma smiled at him rubbing his arm gently.

"Thanks for coming Gizmo, how are you doing anyway you whacked your head from what I remember" Paul sat up in bed realising he'd forgotten to ask how she was doing.

"I'm fine, they patched me up nicely, it wasn't nearly as bad as yours" She gently touched the bandage covering his wound. "anyway I should be thanking you, for getting us out of there safe, you saved us" Gemma turned serious for a moment, something Paul hated was serious talk but he knew she needed to get this out.

"I'm no hero" he muttered.

"Never said you were" She smirked at his shocked expression and earnt herself a playful shove from her brother.

"But seriously though, if it werent for you we'd still be trapped in there" the pair of them sat in silence for ages. Paul pretended to sleep and Gemma was texting a few people to update them on what was going on.

It wasn't long till Billy returned with the coffee and the smell perked Paul right up.

"Milk no sugar, just the way you like it" Billy announced as he came into the space handing over a large to go cup to Paul and a hot chocolate with a mountain of cream on top for Gemma.

"Where's yours?" Paul asked with a smirk.

"Drank mine on the way over, anyway how you feeling?" Billy moved closer to Paul's side placing that same warm hand over his arm.

"Better, not as tired as last night" Paul spoke softly never taking his eyes off Billy. He hesitated a moment seeming like he wanted to say something else but instead turned to his sister and said, "Gem, could you give us a minute" he sounded really shy especially for his outgoing personality.

"Sure, I'll go sort out your discharge forms with the nurse" She patted his shoulder smiling at them both before leaving them alone. Billy was shuffling nervously, something Paul had noticed he does a lot when they're together and he couldn't help but find it endearing.

"Thank you for staying with me" Paul started.

"My pleasure, it was no bother really" Billy was playing with the hem of his cost but was cut off by Paul's hand taking his and squeezing softly.

"I mean it, you were a big help yesterday" Paul added rubbing his thumb over Billys hand.

"I was so worried about you" Billys voice broke and Paul could see the tears beginning to form as he tried to speak.

"I'm tough as nails me" Paul knocked his fist over his head like he was tapping on a door.

"A head injury is nothing to joke about" Billy warned in that voice Paul was pretty sure he used on summer when she did something wrong.

"I know... I'm sorry, I guess humours just my way of coping" Paul sat up and swung his legs round so he was sat facing Billy. He was slow in his movements and hesitant as he reached his hand up to cup Billys cheek.

"Paul we can't" Billy placed his hand over Paul's where it was pressed against his cheek but didn't move it away. 

"Why not?" 

"Because you've had a head injury you're not thinking straight..." 

"Obviously" Paul laughed gaining him a glare from Billy. 

"Not funny, and besides you broke up with me remember... I don't want to be messed around" that was when Billy pulled the hand away and took a step back. 

"I don't want to mess you around... Billy I'm serious about this, I want to be with you... You want to know what went through my head yesterday when that roof caved in" 

Billy stared at him intently waiting for him to continue. 

"I thought about you... Yeah I was worried about Gemma and the others but I was worried I'd never see you again, I thought my time was up and I'd never get the chance to tell you I lo..." he froze realising what he was about to say. 

"I love you too. So much" Billy filled the space again this time his hands were over Paul's cheeks and before he had chance to say anything his lips were on Paul's kissing him softly. 

Paul deepend the kiss pulling Billy close by the lapel of his jacket wrapping his arms around him.

When the finally broke apart for air Billy rested his forehead against Paul's, careful not to hurt him.

"I love you so much Billy" Paul huffed out a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding. 

"Right back at ya" Billy pulled him close for another kiss before wrapping his arms around him and holding him close. 

"You stayed" 

"I'm never leaving again" Billy whispered into his ear.


End file.
